The Hindu : CPI, Congress discussing seat-sharing in Orissa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 15, 2004

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CPI, Congress discussing seat-sharing in Orissa

By K.V. Prasad

NEW DELHI, FEB.14. After having begun talks in Andhra Pradesh, the Communist Party of India has approached the Congress for seat adjustment in Orissa for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections.

The CPI wants to be accommodated in one of the three Lok Sabha constituencies of Aska, Behrampur and Jagatsingpur and at least eight seats in the 147-member Assembly. The Biju Janata Dal Government of Naveen Patnaik has decided to advance the Assembly polls to be held along with the general elections.

The CPI demand was conveyed by its national secretary, D. Raja, to the Congress Working Committee special invitee, Digvijay Singh, who is responsible for party affairs in the State. It is understood that Mr. Singh, who is now on a visit to Orissa, would discuss it with the State Congress leaders.

The party stressed that there was a need for the Congress and other secular parties to join hands to defeat the BJD-BJP combine. The CPI said it had considerable influence in some 15 Lok Sabha and 110 Assembly constituencies, which could be consolidated in case of an electoral understanding.

During the 1999 general elections, the CPI contested three seats. In Aska, its candidate, S.K. Panda, was second with 21 per cent of the vote-share. The BJD chief, Naveen Patnaik, had polled nearly 74 per cent of the votes. Hence, the CPI has expressed preference for the seat though the Congress is understood to be keen on allotting the seat to a former BJD Minister who recently crossed over to the party.

Among the Assembly seats the CPI has sought were Kavisuryanagar — which was won by its candidate, Nityananda Pradhan, in the 2000 polls — Chatrapur, Ersama, Kakatpur, Jharsuguda, Kamakhaynagar, Malkangir and Begunia. Last time, the CPI contested 29 Assembly seats and won one. In Chatrapur, Narayana Reddy, who finished second as an independent belongs to the CPI.

In Andhra Pradesh, where elections are to be held for the Lok Sabha and the Assembly, the CPI has asked for three Lok Sabha seats of Nalgonda, Bhadrachalam and Pedapalli and 24 Assembly seats, including Chintapalli, Pendurthy, Vijayawada, Guntur or Tadikonda, Ongole, Anantpur, Pattikonda, Asifabad, Chennur, Indurthy, Narsapur, Mahabordabad or Parkala, Kollapur, Khammam, Sujathanagar, Burgampahad, Munugod, Ramnapet, Devarkonda, Chevella and Malakpet.

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